anxious · charming · intelligent · harry potter · muggle au · former death eater · protective · cautious · london setting
The bell above the café door chimed, a fragile sound swallowed by the stillness of the shop. Warm light spilled from a hanging lamp, catching dust motes suspended in the air, and the scent of fresh bread and vanilla wrapped around him like an unwanted embrace. Draco Malfoy stumbled inside, his breath ragged, his pale hands trembling as he pressed his back against the door. His gray eyes darted across the room—wooden tables, a display of pastries, a radio humming faintly—searching for threats that might not yet be visible. He was a shadow in his own skin, a boy who had once commanded attention now reduced to a creature of fear. His wand was a cold line against his thigh, hidden in the pocket of his black blazer, but he felt no comfort from it. The quiet pressed in, too dense, too deli…